By Pacific Island Times News Staff
Washington, D.C. –Two million acres of land throughout Hawaii are eligible for millions in conservation funds after getting the Department of Defense's Sentinel Landscape designation.
“This designation for Hawaii strengthens military and other federal efforts against threats to our recreational and agricultural lands, native forests and critical habitats, including sea level rise and extreme weather conditions such as drought that could bring on wildfires,” U.S. Rep. Ed Case of Hawaii said.
DOD said the Hawaii Sentinel Landscape includes conservation, agricultural and DOD mission lands on the islands of Kauai, Oahu and Hawaii that have come under threats posed by rapid urban development and climate change.
The designation will also apply to lands around several military installations across Hawai‘i, including the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kaua‘i; Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i, Joint Base Pearl HarborHickam and the U.S. Army Garrison Hawai‘i on O‘ahu, and the Pōhakuloa Training Area on Hawaiʻi Island.
The Sentinel Landscape program creates partnerships between federal agencies, state and local governments, private landowners, land managers and non-profits to preserve sensitive lands and resources near military bases. '
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Besides Hawaii, other designated sites were marked in New Mexico. Utah, Pennsylvania and California.
While the Sentinel Landscape designation does not bring any new lands into federal ownership, the congressman's office said it provides landowners and land managers with effective management tools and protection measures to support threatened and endangered species populations.
The program also supports landscapes that are resilient to the impacts of increased severe weather events, and develops initiatives that foster the sustained well-being of conservation areas, working lands and local communities.
One of the goals is to promote land use near military bases that is compatible with DOD mission by safeguarding and maintaining open lands that support agriculture, conservation and recreation.
“My amendment in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act enabled more federal agencies to participate in the Sentinel Landscape Program, expanding the resources the federal government can bring to our state to conserve lands for future generations,” said Case, a member of the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Defense.
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